Stanford Progressive

Now, as always, the Stanford Progressive does its part to contribute to civil dialogue on the issues that plague our nation’s politics. Our last issue (“Illegal Until Proven Innocent,” June 2010) addressed the complications and constitutionality of the legislation and rhetoric used to discourage immigration. This issue takes a different perspective by focusing on the Islamophobia that is sweeping the nation. While the two are incredibly different topics, you will find a common theme in these pages: the United States of America is better than this.

by Shahryar K. Malik

Like other technology giants such as Google and Twitter, Research in Motion has boldly taken up the battle cry to defend privacy rights and freedom of speech. Alongside the UAE, Saudi Arabia, India and Pakistan have all voiced similar criticism of the encrypted text messaging facilitated by the Blackberry device, and are likely to discontinue the encrypted BBM facility altogether.

Those leading the fight against crime and illegal immigration all condemn Arizona’s SB 1070 as inefficient, dangerous, and simplistic. They all understand that immigration policy involves more than “attrition through enforcement.” S.B. 1070 represents a step towards the inflexible, non-adaptive policy abhorred by anyone who has an understanding of immigration policy that spans beyond the politics of Neanderthals.

by Nik Milanovic, Business Manager

Just as people lined up around street corners to wait for their $500+ touchscreen iPads in April, in India they will be lining up in anticipation of a similar soon-to-be-released laptop. The difference? The laptop will cost $35 instead of $500.

by Nik Milanovic, Business Manager

In tough economic times, people reach for two things: their wallets and their guns. In the case of the Tea Party and the GOP this season, the wallet-reflex has manifested itself in the form of cries for reduced taxes and shrieks of indignation at government spending. The gun-reflex has much more prominently reared its head in the form of unabashed xenophobia, most recently as opposition to Manhattan’s proposed community center.

by Shadi Bushra, Editor-in-Chief

Buried only skin-deep in the knee-jerk reaction to the so-called “Ground Zero Mosque” is an underlying belief that all Muslims should be punished for the crimes of a handful. This logic is as terrifying as it is false, for in our atmosphere of weak political leadership and fearful hysteria it has the power to lead to the violence that we saw last month. By excluding Muslims from “Us” while sullying our coveted constitutional rights, we risk becoming the intolerant, hateful, violent “Them” that many have painted Muslims.

by Adam Hudson

Adam Hudson traces the links between the imperialism that took us to Iraq, the torture that sullied our reputation, and the racist Islamophobia that appears to have run rampant in the previous administration’s decision-making.